Will of the Stars
by xXShikigamiXx
Summary: Sequel to Forgotten. Ex-Guardian Trinity joins the mercenary company Little Wing and must save the Gurhal System again. As she works together with her new partner and old friends, she discovers there is more to the Gurhal System than the Ancients.
1. Chapter 1

Continues from "Forgotten" since quite a few people became interested by that little experiment.

I don't own Phantasy Star Portable 2, it belongs to SEGA.

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><p>The Gurhal System.<p>

A vast universe with three planets that orbited the large star known as the sun.

Parum, Moatoob, and Neudaiz. On these planets lived many races that had come together in a complete state of harmony. Humans, Newmans, CASTs, and Beasts; they all roamed the planets and colonies that orbited the sun. But it had not always been so peaceful.

One day, without warning, and ancient threat known as the SEED that had been sealed away by the Ancients appeared. Ir marked the end of a hundred years of peace and the beginning of a new war. Everywhere, the races and their ruling governments were united by a lone young man, Ethan Waber, and combated with the SEED threat. Using the technology of the Ancients, the unified races were able to seal away the SEED and the dark planet, Rykros, once more.

Ethan Waber was heralded as a hero.

Now the people of the Gurhal System, in the face of a lack of resources have set their sets on the stars beyond. Everyone has once again come together to find a way to bring about a new exodus with the use of sub-space travel. In this new era, people are reaching for their dreams with new fervor.

Yet... there are certain souls and mysteries in the Gurhal System that remain hidden or buried.

Barely anyone remembers the brave Guardians who uncovered the re-emergance of the Illuminus. They do not remember they who had bravely defied direct orders to put an end to that emergance.

Because everyone is too fixated on the big hero and the current crisises...

And everyone had forgotten about her.

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><p>The ruins of Parum was a hotspot for mercenaries and hired-guns of all sorts. Many of them were gathered about and murmuring to on another, as they waited for the expedition to commence. Among the many beasts, CASTs, and humans, one person stood out among them. Long white hair that framed a young mature face, dressed in a long white coat with two red tassles attached at the collar. They trailed behind her like thin red wings as she moved about.<p>

The Newman's sharp silver eyes roamed over the area as her boots hit the ground with muffled taps, and plain gold earrings jingled in time with them. She weaved about the crowd, floating like a ghost among the living.

... With the way her life had been for the last few years, she may as well have been a ghost. She bit her lower lip and shook her head, _'No, don't think about that, Trinity.'_

"Hey," she jerked her head up and turned her head. A black male CAST had approached her, "Quite a lot of people here, huh?"

Trinity nodded her head, "Yes... there are a lot of people here."

"It's no surprise since ruins like this have only atrracted the best of the mercenaries," the black CAST looked her over once, "You look like a mercenary yourself, but you're no part of any company... A Freelancer then?"

Trinity set her mouth in a thin line, "What of it?"

"No need to look so hostile," the CAST said, "I'm not judging; you do look very capable."

Trinity let her tight expression go lax and closed her eyes, "I... My apologies..."

"It's no problem."

Trinity took a deep breath and opened her once again to scan the area. The CAST continued talking about the ruins an how the current area they were in was safe, but the further they would have to go in, the more dangerous it was likely to be. It was all stuff she had heard before and been through. Trinity kept her arms crossed over her chest and returned to leaning against the wall and listening to the male CAST.

Out of the sea of chatter, a new voice spoke up. It was young, female, and... almost really whiny.

"Can we just go home already? Please?"

Trinity lifted her head up in dull curiosity to see who had spoken. The CAST who had been talking to her also looked up. His whole posture became thoughtful with the barest hint of disapproval, "This is no place for children. And I'll wager she's no mercenary."

Silver eyes glanced at the girl again. Everything about her screamed "I do not want to be here," and she had the demeanor of a impatient child. Triniy shook her head, and continued to wait, letting the sounds of the ruins wash over her once more.

"This is a relic site! A relic site - Did you hear me? Come on! You can't make me stay here!"

"Feh. Remind me why I pay you. Look, it's safe here. I'll go find some work for you to do. Just don't wander off. you here me? Stay put."

"Hey..."

Trinity's right eye twitched, _'Inner peace...'_

"Oh man. What now?" The girl looked around, "I don't like this place at all."

Trinity closed her eyes, her face set in a frown, "..."

She focused on breathing deeply to stave off her annoyance, calming herself once more. Once that was over, Trinity then began to absently wonder when the expedition would begin so they could move on.

Then something else cam from the sea of noise.

_'Huh?'_ Trinity's eyes flew open. It was drowning out everything else in deafening silence aad Trinity suddenly felt detached from the world. Everything was numb and there was only silence despite people yelling in panic and bginning to flee. Trinity blinked her eyes rapidly and stumbled about in disorientation. She fell to her knees and the world began to come back to her gradually.

"Everyone, out of the chamber!" one of the Beasts yelled. To Trinity, his shout was far away and her mind couldn't process it quick enough. There were more shouts but they were lostin the confusion that plagued Trinity at the moment. Then the same girl pulled her back to reality completely, "Hey! H-hey, wait up! The doors! Don't leave me here!"

The doors closed with a loud thump.

Trinity put a hand one her forehead to keep herself from keeling over completely. Eventually, the vertigo passed and she shakily got back up to her feet. The newman turned and twisted her head around, while the blonde girl beat her fist against the locked door. All of the immediate entrances were blocked off.

_'That means the only way out is further inside the ruins,' _Trinity thought to herself. She turned her attention back to the girl who was looking very dejected and discouraged. Slowly, Trinity approached the girl, "Hey."

The blonde girl turned to her, "Who are you?" Then her face became somber, "Guess I wasn't the only one locked in here. Any idea what all the fuss was about?"

Trinity shook her head.

"Yeah, me neither. It all happened so fast. Next thing I knew, the place as empty. What are we gonna do?" the girl asked. Trinity turned her back and began to walk further into the ruins.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," she stopped and turned around. The girl had a look of disbelief, "Don't tell me you're thinking about going deeper into this place?"

"Yes, I am," Trinity said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. The girl put her hands on her hips and glared at the newman, "Are you crazy? This is a relic site. Who knows what could be down here?"

"..." Trinity groaned softly. And was staying here screaming for help any better when they could just find the exit? The elder of two started to trek further towards the hallway. The blonde girl then ran in front of her, making her stop once again.

"Not so fast! If you run off by yourself you could end up dead - or worse!" she exclaimed.

"I'll take my chances," Trinity replied. They were both at an impasse, it seemed. Then the girl relented, "Fine! If you're going, I'm coming too!"

Trinity only nodded her head in acknowledgement. They both started to walk again when the girl looked towards the taller female, "Oh, I don't think I caught your name before."

"Trinity."

"Never woulda guessed. Well, nice to meet you," she then gave her name, "I'm Emilia. Emilia Percival. Like it or not, We're in this together."

"I know," Trinity said with no emotion in her voice. It had been so long for her, since she had someone she needed to work together with. The newman huffed softly and kept walking, Emilia dogging her every step.

The relic site was much different than the one she had been to when she was a Guardian, this much Trinity knew. Still, that meant there had to be old Ancients technology roaming about. Sure enough, one room they came to was full of them, prowling about.

Emilia sighed, "The place is crawling. Figures. And why do I get the feeling they aren't going to let us through?"

"..."

"Oh, there's something I should probably tell you. See, I may be armed, but I haven't actually been in all that many fights. Uh, none, to be exact. So, good luck! I got your back!"

That didn't sound very reassuring...

Trinity only pulled out her sword and handgun and fired. The monsters in the relic site weren't all that tough as Trinity spun about, dodging and weaving away from any attacks they threw at her. Behind her, Emilia was throwing out some low-level photon arts as support. Emilia's back up wasn't bad...

_'But it could still be better,'_ Trinity thought to herself as she kicked the last monster onto the ground. Now that all of the enemies were down, they could finally move on. As they walked, Emilia looked at her with some surprise, "Not bad. You really are a mercenary."

Silver eyes glanced at her.

"I gotta admit, I'm relieved. With you around, maybe I'll actually get out of here."

"But aren't you a mercenary?" Trinity asked. Emilia wilted, "Sure, I may techinically work at a mercenary company, but this fighing stuff isn't for me. Not that my boss cares. No, he dragged me into this death trap of a relic site because he says I'm lazy."

She growled, "Ooooh, he gets under my skin! Who's he to tell when to work? You're with me on this, right?"

Trinity massaged the bridge of her nose, eyebrows scrunchd up like she just had a bad migraine. This girl was unbelievable...

"He's your boss, of course he's going to get onto you about work," the white-haired Newman said.

"Oh, sure, take his side!" Emilia glared. Trinity only stared back and opened her mouth when Emilia cut her off, "No, it's okay, really. I'm used to it. Nobody takes anything I say seriously. Whatever. With your help, I should be able to make it out of here in one piece. Then he'll get a real earful."

"..." Trinity really couldn't follow this girl at all. The older female sighed softly to herself as Emilia went onto a rant about this "boss" of hers.

"Come to think of it," Trinity returned her attention back to Emilia, "Have any relic sites ever gone active when the SEED weren't attacking? Well, maybe some have, I suppose. It's kinda hrd to say for sure. I've heard the relic sites react to the elementary particles emitted by the SEED. But does that explain the disruptions observed in the magnetic field? Hardly. In any case, the last of the SEED was driven out three years ago, but that didn't stop this place from activating. So if the whole site is run by some master program, it follows hat there must be some sort of trigger."

"..." Trinity couldn't speak, there was so much technical jargon being spouted by this girl that her brain couldn't even process what she had just said. Emilia stoppd, "Or, uh... yeah. something like that."

"Are you some kind of expert on relic sites?" Trinity had to ask.

"Who, me? No... That's all common knowledge."

_'Really?'_ Trinity thought dryly,_ 'Because I never learned that back in Guardians school.'_

"Ask any mercenary you want. They'll tell you the same thing," Aaand Emilia was back into defensive mode, "Just forget I said anything. No one ever believes me anyway. Don't you go starting on me now!"

"No... I believe you," Trinity replied. Emilia blinked in shock, "Really? You do?"

Then she went back to her usual self, "Well, this really isn't the time or place. Let's get out of here!"

Trinity gave a hefty sigh and trotted after her current charge. This girl was all over the place in terms of personality, and Trinity was wondering if she had a few screws loose. Ah well, it wasn't really her business.

Together, they traversed deeper into the site, mindful of all the enemies that lurked about, though Trinity's skill dispatched all of them quickly. They eventually reached a large room with water flowing into the canals around them. Trinity looked around while Emilia panted, completely exhausted.

"How much of his place do we have to search before we find a way out? All these machines here-they're the site's automated defenses. I feel like they're watching me. What if they went live...?" Emilia shuddered, "C'mon, let's get out of here."

The duo didn't get very far when one of the large machines came to life. It roared at them, making them both stop in their tracks. Emilia was freaking out, "You gotta be kidding! I shoulda kept my big mouth shut!"

Trinity only stepped forward, her weapons in hand. Her entire demeanor was one full of confidence, "We can handle this."

"Whaddaya mean "handle this"? Don't tell me you're going to fight that thing?"

"We don't have much of a choice," the elder said.

"Ungh... All right, I'm with you! If you say we can handle it, we can handle it!" Emilia relented. Trinity half-smiled, "Glad you think so. Get ready. Here it comes!"

The Svaltia attacked them both and they rolled to get out of the way. Trinity took aim and fired at one of the joints before charging forward to slash its legs. Emilia casted soe photon art attacks with her staff, while Trinity engaged in melee combat, sometimes jumping back to fire off a few plasma rounds. The Svaltia would swing its large ax and Trinity would always dance out of reach.

Eventually, one more gunshot was fired and the Svatlia went down. Trinity lowered her arm and took a deep breath to steady herself. It had been a while since she fought a opponent like that. Emilia gasped for breath as she looked around.

"I'm... alive...? I'm alive!" She then lit up and grinned widely, "We did it! The bigger they are, the harder they fall! That was really something! I knew you could do it! I knew it!"

Trinity's expression softened, then she gasped as the Svaltia got back up on its feet. Emilia blinked and turned around, "Huh?"

The Svaltia raised its claw and Emilia screamed. Trinity yelled out her name as she ran foward and shoved Emilia out of the way. Trinity then looked up just as the claw fell upon her. She saw red... then nothing. Somewhere, in the darkness, she could hear Emilia's frantic cries that eventually faded away.

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><p>...<p>

This is it.

I really am dead...

I'm sorry, Emilia.

...

It's so dark.

I can't see anything.

...?

What's that?

Who is... calling me?

...

So tired...

**"Don't give up."**

... Huh?

**"You still have much to do, Trinity."**

What do you mean? Who are you.

**"Awaken, - ."**

What...?

_Flash._

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><p>End chapter 1.<p>

Is this a satisfying opening?

Review, no flames..


	2. Chapter 2

Next chapter. I own nothing but a small spin I put in here.

Also, NephirysX, thank you for your critique, I will be sure to bear it in mind as I continue forward. Also, small note: Laia wouldn't be able to tell Tonnio to keep tabs on Trinity because e quit the Guardians before PSP2. If anything, it would be Lumia keeping tabs, with Lou an Maya trying to take her into custody.

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><p><strong>~Slumber - Awakening~<strong>

_Everything is born into life,_

_and everything dies._

_Death._

_The final gate._

_The eternal slumber that none can escape._

_And yet..._

_People wish that life would not be so fleeting._

_They selfishly cling to it,_

_Beg their loved ones to not leave them for the inevitable._

_Seek a way to live forever._

_Why is that?_

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><p>The first thing Trinity was aware of was that she was on something soft. Someone was also speaking close by but, she couldn't make out what they were saying. She tried to flex her muscles, to get herself to move even a inch. A whine came from her as her body protested from the movement. It was like she'd been filled with lead.<p>

"Oh! You're awake!" A distinctly female voice with a French accent caught Trinity's ears. The pointed appendages twitched slightly and she managed to fully open her eyes to see who was speaking to her. Trinity turned her gaze up to see a female CAST smiling down at her, "How are you feeling?"

"Like I got run over by a herd of koltova," Trinity pushed herself up into a sitting position. She was stiff and put a hand on her forehead. This was surreal, how was she still alive? That Svaltia had dealt a killing blow. The silver Newman suppressed the urge to shudder.

"That is to be expected... Oh. Please, wait a moment," the CAST then turned around and yelled to the back, "Monsieur boss! Monsieur boss! Our guest has awakened!"

Trinity heard a heavy sigh, "Yeah, yeah. Hang on, I'm talking to someone."

Trinity leaned to the side to get a glimpse of who the "boss" was and frowned a little when all that met her were screens. The CAST spoke up again, "I forgot to introduce myself. I am Chelsea. Enchante."

"Oh... Nice to meet you too, Chelsea. I'm Trinity," she replied. Chelsea's smile became brilliant, and Trinity swore she was actually glowing, "Such wonderful manners! It is good that there are still people who remember them."

"A-ah..." the Newman had a rather nervous look about her. Her gaze flitted about as she took in her surroundings. It wasn't the relic site. This new place was a office room with a bunch of terminals.

"Where am I?"

"You are on Clad 6, a resort colony," Chelsea explaind, "And you are in the offices of Little Wing. We are a private security firm here, yes?"

Little Wing... Clad 6... Trinity could only think that they were related to Skyclad somehow. When she voiced this, Chelsea clapped her hands, "Tres bien, you are well informed! Skyclad is our parent company, so it is the Big Wing."

Trinity nodded her head. From the back, a male Beast approached them. He was very scruffy looking and his eyes were covered by the bangs of his hair, "Finally awake are you? I'm Kraz Muehlur, head of this little mercenary outfit."

Trinity nodded her head in acknowledgement. She paused for a little bit, "... How did I get here?"

"That's easy. I was helping with the evacuations when all hell broke loose, and got roped into saving the two idiots trapped inside. One of those idiots being you."

Chelsea nodded, "Monsieur boss carried you back here. You were sleeping deeply. So peaceful, like a baby."

"What happened to the girl I was with?" Trinity's question came out as quick as a blade draw. Kraz crossed his arms, "Worried about her, are ya? Don't worry-speak of the devil."

The door beeped and opened up. Walking inside was none other than one exhausted Emilia Percival. She walked over to them, "What'd you call me down for? Do you have any idea what I've been through, boss?"

"Don't know, don't care," Kraz replied, "Save your whining for someone who does. Now be polite, we have company with us."

"Rgh," Emilia glared at him. She then turned to look at Trinity, "We haven't had company for a while. It's nice to... wait a minute, you look familiar."

Emilia squinted her eyes a little, then reeled back in shock, "Wha! B-but you...! How are you still alive?"

"..." Trinity didn't answer, while Kraz made a off comment about the things that come out of Emilia's mouth. Emilia glared at the scruffy man before turning back to Trinity, "If you're alive... then that means everything down in the relic site had been a dream," she sighed in relief, "Phew, that's a load off of my back."

"Seeing as you two are already acquainted, this makes things much easier," Kraz said. Both females turned back to him, Trinity the one to speak, "What do you mean?"

It's like this: you," Kraz pointed at Trinity, "Had no ID on yourself, so I couldn't exactly leave you where you were. You're a Freelancer? Not anymore, you're with us now."

Here, both females let their shocked expression show. Trinity stammered, "W-what? You're recruiting me right out of the blue?"

"Hey, look at it this way, there's no test, no background check, and you get your own room and partner."

"..." Trinity fell into silence.

"How generous of you," Emilia said.

"Dimwit, I'm talking about you."

"Wha...?"

While the two of them argued, Trinity fell back into her mind, trying to understand what had just been said to her. First her death, now this. She was getting hit by so many things at once, and she had to focus to get control of her thoughts. When she finall did, she contemplated Kraz's proposal.

It... would probably be good for a change of scenery from the Freelancer gig.

"I'll take it," she said, effectively cutting through Emilia and Kraz's arguement.

Emilia spluttered while Kraz half-grinned, "All right then. Better show your new partner to her room."

"But-"

"Not "buts," now get going."

"Fine..." Emilia growled. Trinity got up and followed Emilia out of the office, while Kraz tells Chelsea to register their new recruit. They pass through a large area with a bunch of people chattering with each other, most likely Little Wing mercenaries.

"We're here..." Emili yawned, "I'm so tired."

The door opens and they enter the room. Trinity looks around carefully. It was sparse but much bigger than the room she had as a Guardian. Emilia then rattled off the room's functions, "Bathroom is over there, there's a fridge and small kitchen, dressing room, and bed. Now if you don't mind, I need some shut eye."

With that, the blonde girl curled up on _her _bed and fell asleep. Trinity stared at the younger, her right eye twitching even more, _'How rude...'_

This was going to be difficult.

The Newman sighed and looked around.

_'Might as well get comfortable...'_ She then proceeded to sit down and pull up the tv, turning down the volume so Emilia wouldn't wake up. An hour in, she got bored and shut the screen off. She looked over at the bed and frowned a little. Emilia was still asleep.

_'Maybe I should go explore for a bit.'_

She got to her feet and strolled over to the door. Just as she was about to open it, a voice spoke up, "Wait. It should be safe for us to talk now."

Trinity whipped around to see a golden light around Emilia. Golden markings appared on her skin and a ghostly form came out of her. It was a golden woman surrounded by a halo of light, like the sun.

Something in Trinity shifted and she was locked in place. Her instincts were haywire and she felt... sad for some reason. The woman opened her eyes, "I am Mika, an entity of pure consciousness. I have chosen this girl as my vessel. This form that you see is a product of technology from long ago. I am what you would all an Ancient, the first race to inhabit the Gurhal system."

Trinity swallowed thickly. The air felt strange around her and the hairs on the back of hr neck were standing on end, "E-Emilia?"

"Have no fear, she sleeps still. I have done nothing to harm her," Mika said gently, "Please, here me out, you are the only one I can trust."

"..."

"I have studied Emilia's memories to learn about your time," the golden woman explained, "Three years ago, a great calamity -the SEED- fell upon the Gurhal System. But that was not the first attack. They came in my time, as well."

Trinity couldn't help but listen inently as Mika reiterated her story. She blinked rapidly when the world seemed to bend about her, and she could here distant voices and sounds of battle.

"It was the height of our civilization, and the SEED invasion puhed us to the brink of ruin. The war had been long, but we ventual triumphed and banished the SEED and their leader, Dark Falz. But it was too late. The planets of our system were tainted by the SEED. Not even our bodies were spared, an the taint of the SEED spread further."

Mika became sorrowful, "It was only a matter of time before we, and all of the life in the Gurhal System perished. So the Ancients risked everything on one last gamble that would span the ages: Project Renaissance. First, we purified the system of the SEED and restored the planets. Next, we created a new race of men and released them onto the pristin worlds. Finally, the Ancients shed their tainted flesh to become beings of thought that passed into slumber. We slept, awaiting the day that our children would rise as we had, so that we might steal their bodies for our own."

Trinity's body trembled with some sort of emotion that she could not fully comprehend an identify. But... it felt like anger. A deep anger that had lasted for years on end, coupled with deep sorrow and betrayal. But just s quickly as it had come, it slipped away.

"As time passed, everything went according to plan. Man grew and prospered, creating a advanced civilization to rival our own. It grew until they uncovered the key to the dimension for where he Ancients had taken sleep," Mika's expression became determined, "This new race of men -our children- are the humans. They, and the rest of the Gurhal System, have fallen into the trap laid long ago by the Ancients. I know you must find this hard to believe, but it is the truth. And so I ask for your help to stop this dreadful plan from happening."

Mika wasn't lying, that much Trinity knew. Her heart, for whatever reason, knew the Ancient's words to be true.

"But... why?" those were the only words she could manage out.

"The one you call Emilia cannot hear me; hr heart and mind are closed to me. Though I am an Ancient, I have no desire to be reborn in this era. Our time has come and gone. Our destruction was our fate..."

Her golden eyes looked up to silver, "You and I are not the strangers you may think. Ask yoursel: Why can we talk? What bond do we share? Was the automaton attack real? Are you even alive?"

"..." Trinity looked down, both of her hands clenched into fists, "So I really did..."

"Die. Yes. You experienced true death, and it was Emilia's wish that activated my program that mended your broken body back together. Even now, we-"

Emilia began to stir.

"She will awaken soon," Mika turned back to Trinity, "We shall speak again later."

With Mika's disappearance, the strange feeling in the air dispersed. Emilia yawned, "Guess I dozed of for a bit... Hm? Why are you staring at me?"

Trinity blinked, then turned her had away, "I was thinking."

Emilia frowned and put her hands on her hips, "About what?"

The elder glanced back at her, "About why you decided to pass out on _my_ bed, in _my_ room."

"Why you-!" Emilia then started a one-sided arguement, Trinity having her index fingers plugging her ears with a "whatever" expression on her face. Emilia then stopped after awhile, "Whatever... Trinity, was it?"

"Yes?"

Here, Emilia smiled and held her finger up like she was chiding somebody, "We're partners now, which means we'll have to get to know each other! And don't forget who's been here longer!"

Trinity wondered if this girl was bi-polar .

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><p>End chapter.<p>

Review.


	3. Chapter 3

Next chapter.

I don't own anything except my own spin.

On a side note, was anyone else a bit put off that you basically have to be a doormat for Emilia in order to get the real good ending?

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><p>Trinity was given two days to familiarize herself with Little Wing and Clad 6. It was different from the Guardians Colony, much more colorful and exotic. But that was to be expected since it was a resort colony after all.<p>

The people who were part of Little Wing were very welcoming as well.

Kunoh, Vasque, they all seemed like great people, even if some of them were... forceful. Then there was the boss and Emilia. The Newman frowned a little at the tension between the two. Chelsea had explained that Kraz was Emilia's guardian and that Kraz only took the both of them in to settle a debt. And he would've had the Guardians on his doorstep if he didn't.

She paused at that little detail that had come up. All of this talk and thinking about the Guardians was an effective way to make her mood sullen. Nevermind the fact she and Vivienne had been discharged after stopping Helga's plot and giving the other's a chance.

_'No,'_ she thought to herself, _'That's all behind me now.'_

Steering her thoughts away from the earlier parts of her life, Trinity moved through the area to meet Emilia at the main office. Lo and behold, the blonde girl was standing there with a irritated look on her face.

"Oh good, you're here," she said when Trinity approached, "Let's go see what the boss wants."

Trinity nodded and followed the younger, though her ears twitched when she caught the sound of Emilia mumbling something about "Lazy" and "Paying off debts." She frowned but didn't say anything. The duo was given the run-down of their mission which consisted of Emilia and Kraz butting heads a little. The silver-haired Newman put a hand on Emilia's shoulder and looked Kraz in the eye, "We'll get right to it."

"Yeah, yeah."

Trinity steered a protesting Emilia out of the office, the door hissing closed behind them. When they left, Kraz let out a suffering sigh, "That brat..."

Maybe the stray they picked up would be able to get that girl to shape up. Kraz crossed his arms and returned to his browsing of women in bathing suits.

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><p>Trinity piloted the Little Wing ship on its course to Moatoob while Emilia sat in the co-pilot seat. The ride there was relatively silent. When they entered the giant planet's atmosphere, Trinity steered the ship to a landing area and touched down to the earth. It had been quite sometime since she had last been here. Trinity and Emilia both exited the ship and they stepped onto the jungle ground of Moatoob.<p>

"Hey, you two," a voice cut through the air. Both of them came to a stop to see two Beasts approach them. Trinity fought the urge to shrink back when she saw them. Of all the times for her to run into old faces this was probably the worst.

"Don't you know this area's off limits?" Tonnio Rhima asked them. Emilia looked surprised by that, "Really? What for?"

While Tonnio explained the situation to Emilia, Trinity was looking at anything but the two Beasts in front of them. She had half a mind to just grab Emilia and make a run for it but that wouldn't do any good. It would just bring up questions and more drama she didn't want to deal with. Trinity shook her head and returned to the conversation that was going on.

"The name is Tonnio Rhima."

"And I'm his wife, Liina."

Trinity had to stifle a snort, disguising it in the form of a cough.

'Hah. I knew it.'

"I'm Emilia, and this is my partner, Trinity," Emilia replied to the introduction. Trinity regained her composure at that moment and nodded towards them. Tonnio and Liina nodded back in acknowledgement.

They explained their purpose for being on Moatoob and Tonnio and Liina offered to guide them to the Kasch village. Trinity's first reflex was to say "No" but Emilia beat her by saying that would be welcome. At a loss, she closed her mouth and held back a protest. The group of four ventured into the jungles of Moatoob, avoiding the traps of the Kasch and contending with the local wildlife along the way.

After a brief scuffles with a few Rappys, they came to a cavern deep within the jungle.

"Another Kasch sign. Do your stuff, Liina."

"Okay, let's see..." Liin bent down and began to decipher the meanings of the symbols. Trinity stood guard with her saber in one hand and a pistol in the other. Beside her, Emilia leaned over Liina to get a look at the symbols.

"Hm..." Emilia scrutinized them, "It looks like we're close... Yep, we're definitely getting closeer to the village. Thank goodness for that too, all of this tromping around is making me tired!"

Liina turned to the blonde girl with a surprised look on her face, "You... you can read that?"

"Y-yeah! Of course I can! Anyone can!"

"Really? I've been looking at them too and I can't undertsand any of it," Tonnio mused. Emilia seemed a bit panicked now and turned to Trinity, "Trinity can read it too! Right, Trinity?"

Trinity looked at her, then at the symbols. She scanned the symbols, then turned back to the younger girl with a blank look. In a flat tone, she said, "Not at all."

"You weren't looking hard enough!" Emilia flailed, "If you looked harder, you'd understand it too!"

Trinity desperately wanted to plug her ears but refrained from doing so at the cost of her hearing. Her ears twitched an she looked back up to see Emilia running ahead of them, "Whatever, the Kasch village is this way."

"Emilia, slow down," Trinity called after her as she picked up her pace. Tonnio and Liina followed in suit and they came to a open area.

"Stop!" a young voice commanded.

"Emilia, look out!" Tonnio yelled as he tackled her out of the way of an arrow. The one who had fired it was standing atop a rock formation with a tribal-looking bow in hand. Tonnio got back up and ran forward, unsheathing his dagger, "You're mine!"

"!" the boy's eyes widened then hardened and he lifted his hand up. Trinity heard something whispering in the air about them and froze, "Tonnio, stop!"

"Haaah!" Tonnio leaped into the air, ready to strike. Red runes appeared he air and a firey being emerged from it sending a fireball in Tonnio's direction. Liina jumped up and pulled her husband out of harm's way. The fireball flew past them, and Trinity had to roll out of the way to avoid being burned.

"I won't let you hurt the village!" the boy declared. So he was one of the Kasch...

"..." Trinity drew her saber, bracing for combat.

"The Kasch Village? Did something happen to it?" Liina asked. The Kasch boy scoffed and drew another arrow, "Why does it matter to you? I won't let you pass!"

"Hmph. So much for that," Tonnio huffed, "Here he comes!"

The Kasch boy was the first make a move by firing off a ground others dodged and retaliated with counterattacks. Trinity blocked a thrust of a spear and spun, delivering a kick to the boy's mid-section.

He slid back and coughed, cradling his stomach with one arm. The Kasch boy grit his teeth and called upon his flaming summon once more. Everyone rolled out of the way of the fireball except Trinity. She charged forward and ducked under the fireball, coming face to face with a wide-eyed Kasch boy.

Slam.

The Kasch boy gagged and fell over from the hard blow to the stomach. Trinity caught him before he hit the ground hard and gently lowered him down.

"Phew..." the others approached them.

"Didn't he say something about the Kasch village?" Emilia asked. Trinity frowned, "Yes. Something must have happened."

"That's great and all, but what are we going to do with him?" the blonde girl gestured to the unconscious boy in the Newman's arms. Trinity turned to Liina and Tonnio, "Would you be able to take him back to our ship?"

"We're splitting up then?"

Trinity nodded. Both Beasts worked together to carry the Kasch boy back to the Little Wing ship while Trinity and Emilia made their way to the village. When they got there, the village was on fire.

People were running and screaming amidst the flames and the duo had a bit of a hard time getting around them. Trinity lost track of Emilia at one point and struggled to find her.

"Emilia!"

When she did find her again, Emilia was being confronted by a human male in black. She was too faraway to hear anything, but when he had grabbed her Trinity ran towards him, sword drawn. Mika had taken control of Emilia's body by the time she got there, though she was more focused on the man in black. Trinity slashed at him, only to hit ground instead. She reacted quickly and fired off plasma shots at the man.

He dodged every single one of them and retreated.

"Wait!" Trinity yelled and was about to run after him when a body hit the ground. She turned to see Emilia was unconscious again, then looked back in the direction the man and his group had run off into.

"... Damn it!" Trinity cursed and put away her weapons. She went and picked up Emilia just as Tonnio and Liina arrived with a few other people.

This was not a good day.

* * *

><p>I figured I should get a chapter out before leaving for California. Sorry it took so long.<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

Next chapter here.

I don't own Phantasy Star.

* * *

><p><em>'Damn it, damn it, damn it!'<em> Trinity cursed in her head as a mantra while she hurried back to the ship with Emilia on her back. The blond was still unconscious from the whole ordeal in the Kasch village. Tonnio and Liina were running towards her, asking her what had happened once they were close enough. She kept her explanation short and simple: Emilia had fought the one responsible, passed out, and the perpetrator had fled the scene of the crime.

"I need you to grab a man named Wurley for me and bring him back to the ship. He should be lying around here somewhere."

"Right. What about you?"

"I'm taking Emilia back to the ship."

With that, they split from each other and Trinity sprinted all the way back to the ship. Once on board, she wasted no time in placing Emilia down on a cot and checking for any injuries. Finding none, Trinity let herself relax and put a hand over her eyes in relief.

"Phew... You really are a handful," the Newman murmured to the unconscious girl.

Trinity left her side and went to stand outside the ship and wait for Liina and Tonnio to come back with their objective. During this, she thought back to the man who had been responsible for the attack. Something about him gave her the same uneasy feeling of when she had run-ins with Helga way back in the day. They both had that same dark, sinister gleam in their eyes.

"..."

Trinity remained engrossed in her thoughts up until the two Beastlings returned with the man Kraz had sent them to retrieve. She returned to the pilot's seat and inputted the commands to launch. The engines hummed to life and the hatches all closed as the craft began to lift off the ground. Tonnio and Liina strapped themselves in as this was happening.

Trinity glanced back at them briefly, then turned her attention back to the front. If they were going to ride along it was too late for her to (gently) kick them out of the ship. The entire ride back to Clad 6 was complete silence, save for the hum of the engines.

* * *

><p>"Hmm..." Emilia groaned as she slowly began to come to. The first thing that she noted was that she was on a soft bed rather than on the ground. The second was that Trinity was leaning against the wall, her arms crossed and looking down at her.<p>

"You're awake."

Emilia groaned and sat up, "What happened?"

"You've been asleep for two days."

The older woman stared at her then closed her eyes and turned down slightly. Emilia noticed her expression; it was one of controlled anger.

"You ran ahead of me and engaged an enemy all on your own."

The blonde curled her hands into the blankets in her lap. Inside, she felt intimidated by Trinity's tone, "I-I know but he would've gotten away if-"

"He _did_ get away," the silver Newman interjected. She unfolded her arms and strolled over to the bed, closing the distance between them with rapid strides. Emilia ended up tilting her head to keep her eyes locked with Trinity's. Whatever it was she had wanted to say was probably something she was still deciding on. Emilia was expecting her to yell at her; Kunoh had done it few times when she was under her tutelage.

Instead, Trinity only took a deep breath and relaxed her facial features, "Next time, stay in my sight so I can back you up." As she said this, she lightly poked Emilia's forehead and began to walk to the door, "I'm going to report to Kraz."

The door opened with a hiss and Trinity was gone a moment later. Emilia was left staring dumbly at the door. She was still trying to process what had just happened. Her hand reached up to touch the spot where Trinity's finger head poked her forehead. It hadn't been hard that it was painful, but it had been hard enough to make her feel pressure on her skin. Emilia was left to ponder over her partner's actions.

Trinity had a rather aloof air about her, like her deciding to be a part of Little Wing was more of an obligation and chore rather than something she had wanted. Emilia didn't really know how she felt about her either. On the one hand, Trinity kept her distance and acted, in her eyes, like a total ice queen. Except that wasn't the most accurate description since she had shown emotions other than annoyance and impassiveness. Then there was what had just happened a few minutes ago.

"Ugh... My head hurts," Emilia moaned to no one in particular. Thinking about and trying to decipher Trinity's nuanced actions was too much for her brain. She moved the sheets off her body and stood up. Her arms stretched over her head and she lifted her self up on her toes to stretch herself up and rid herself of the horrible stiffness that had been plaguing her for a while now.

"Ahh, that's much better."

With that out of the way her thoughts turned back to Trinity. She literally knew nothing about the woman other than she was older than her, obviously had a lot of combat experience, and used to be a Freelancer. After all that stuff about being partners the two of them were still more like strangers. And there was still the incident in the Kasch Village that she wanted to talk about with her. Keeping this in mind, she exited the room and went out into the main lobby. Other Little Wing mercenaries were milling about, as usual. From the cafe area, Trinity walked out with a pensive expression her face and her eyes facing downward. Had Kraz given her a verbal thrashing that was actually meant for her?

Feeling anxious, Emilia approached Trinity, "Hey. So... was he angry?"

Trinity's head snapped up from the ground, then she shook her head, "Not at all, no."

That was new. She was so used to him being disappointed with her performance in jobs so she had been expecting this to be no different. Then again, Trinity had been with her so maybe that's why. Moving those thoughts aside, Emilia remembered her purpose for seeking Trinity out again, "Can I talk to you?"

"Sure..." Trinity said. Emilia smiled shakily and led her to the teleporter that beamed them up into their own Clad 6-issued ship. Trinity waited patiently for the blonde girl to speak up. Emilia wrung her hands nervously before finally speaking up again, "About what happened in the Kasch Village... When I fought the man in black, it felt like I wasn't in control of my body. My memory is a little foggy but... it was real, wasn't it."

Trinity opened her mouth but then quickly snapped it shut when an ethereal voice cut in, "Yes. It was real."

Emilia's eyes widened and her body became tense. The voice was unfamiliar and there was no one else in the ship other than them. So who else could be in there with them?

"Wh-who said that?!"

A tingling sensation in Trinity's body alerted her to Mika's manifestation. Just as it had been when she first appeared before her, she felt that same inexplicable sadness and couldn't help but make a pained expression. Thankfully, Emilia never noticed. Mika, in all of her golden glory, floated before the two of them with a warm expression on her face so as to not make Emilia feel threatened in her frazzled state.

"At long last, you are finally able to acknowledge my presence."

Emilia backed closer to Trinity as if the Newman could protect her from this golden specter that had appeared. Her hazel eyes never left Mika and she shakily asked, "You... Were you inside of me?"

"My name is Mika. I am one of the Ancients who inhabited the Gurhal system once upon a time and yes, I live within you."

Suddenly, Emilia gripped her hair with both of her hands and hunched forward as if in pain. Trinity made a move to grab her but stopped when Mika spoke again, "Don't."

Silver eyes met its sister color filled with confusion and a demand of what was going on. Emilia gasped, "Wh-what is this... ?! It feels like a torrent is flowing into my head...!"

"I'm sharing my memories with you." That explained it. Trinity lowered her arms, placated by Mika's statement. "This is a far easier way to explain to you who I am, and why I am here."

Trinity watched Emilia closely, just to make sure nothing bad would happen. That feeling of static on her skin wouldn't go away either, making her more antsy than she usually could be. Once the memory transfer had been completed, Emilia's eyes became filled with shock and fear, "No way! This... This can't be happening!"

The older woman jerked back a little at Emilia's outburst. The teenager lifted her head up, her hands not releasing the bunches of hair they held captive. In fact, they only tightened in response to whatever she had seen. Hysteria was present in her voice, "If his plan succeeds then-then he'll kill us all!"

_'He?'_ Trinity thought in her head. Mika nodded her head, "If you think of the body as a vessel and the mind a life, then yes. That is exactly what he wants to do."

Emilia's frame trembled violently at this new revelation. How could she not? The Ancients that they held in reverence for their technology and mystery had created the humans who then created the other races just so they could all have new bodies, kicking the actual owners out in the process. It was genocide on the spiritual level.

And if that wasn't enough, everything that had happened in the relic site had to be true too. Emilia turned her head to look at Trinity. In front of her, the Newman was whole with not a scratch on her, but the longer Emilia stared the more clear the memory became. Trinity laying on the ground of the relic site, her life blood pooling around her at a rapid pace and her eyes murky and dark with the Svaltia standing over them, ready to finish off the last living thing in the ruins.

"You... you really did die in the ruins..."

Trinity closed her head and nodded. A suffocating silence surrounded the three of them to which Mika's expression became morose, "Forgive me, I've forced a lot of information on you. You need time to process it all. Call me once you are ready and I will come."

Mika faded out of existence and back into Emilia's body, taking whatever it was that made Trinity's senses haywire with her. It was just the two of them now. Emilia stared vacantly at nothing in particular. Over and over, she repeated in her head that Trinity had die. And it was all because of her. She had frozen up at that one precise moment and Trinity ended up taking that hit for her.

"You died because of me... Because I didn't move and froze up..."

"... Don't worry about it."

Don't worry about? _Don't worry about it?! _When Trinity had said that, Emilia felt anger blossom in her chest, "How can I not?! You died because of me! How can I live with myself knowing that?!"

She glared and continued, "I've always said I never liked fighting, that I'm not cut out for being a mercenary. But that doesn't matter anymore. I want to learn how to fight and... and I want you to teach me."

Trinity looked stunned and remained silent. Emilia swallowed thickly, trying to calm her pounding heartbeat, "Please... I know I'm probably demanding a lot but this is important to me. I might never be a great warrior but I can at least start holding my own."

So that Trinity didn't have to keep shielding her. So that Emilia would never have to see that horrible image ever again. So that Trinity didn't have to stick her neck out for her stupidity. Yes, this is what she had to do, she decided. Trinity's face was stoic for what felt like forever, before it twisted into a half-smile, "All right. But be warned, I can be a little strict at times."

Because when you had Laia as a teacher and were given the opportunity to teach someone else, there was no way you weren't going to teach them with a little bit of her teaching methods.

Emilia was going to be fine though, especially with that fire burning in her eyes, "I'll take anything you throw at me."

"Good."

* * *

><p>Both females entered the main office, Trinity wanting to ask if there were any good missions they could do to help Emilia's training. Emilia was the first one to call out, "Chelsea, you here?"<p>

"Un moment! I have company, you see," Chelsea's accented voice replied. Emilia's eyes narrowed a little, "Company?"

Chelsea appeared before them with Tonnio and Liina trailing behind her. Trinity twitched a little but otherwise kept calm. After landing in Clad 6 they had boarded off the ship and she had thought that maybe they would've staked out a hotel and remained there until they could catch a shuttle back to Moatoob. But for them to be here...

"We meet again," Tonnio said with an easy-going smirk on his face. Liina smiled, "Emilia, it's good to see you back on your feet!"

Emilia was taken aback at the sight of the Beastling couple, "Tonnio? Liina? Why are you here?!"

"Signing our lives away," Tonnio sighed dramatically.

_'No... did they...?'_

"C'est tout! You are all signed up, welcome to Little Wing," Chelsea said with a beautiful smile.

_'Damn it.' _

"Thank you for having us," Liina replied, with an equally radiant smile. Trinity was smiling too, but it was more forced than anything else. Inside, she was bashing her head against a metaphorical wall as she foresaw awkward days ahead of her. Below that, she was elated to be working with the two of them again.

She'd have to be careful around them though.

"What about the Kasch boy?" Liina asked, "How is he?"

That's right, they had brought him back to Clad 6 with them too. Emilia remembered as well, "I totally forgot about him. Is he still sleeping, Chelsea?"

The CAST nodded, "Oui. He sleeps the sleep of the very sleepy."

Trinity curled a hand under her chin, her eyebrows furrowing, "... Maybe I hit him too hard."

Emilia gave her a look while Tonnio rubbed the back of his neck. Then again, Trinity had delivered a vicious pommel stab to the poor boy's gut so that could be the reason. Chelsea's easy smile never faded though, "He makes the occasional grunting. The occasional moan. But no good waking he who is no ready, no?"

There was nothing but silent agreement between them all.

Emilia coughed in a fist, "Anyway, guess we'll go talk to Kraz first, then."

"If you're looking for Kraz, he's in the back. We were just talking to him," Tonnio supplied helpfully.

"Thank you, Tonnio," Trinity said. She turned to Emilia, "Let's go talk to him."

"Yeah..." Emilia deflated a little. Most conversations with her legal guardian never ended well. They walked on over to where Kraz was lounging in a chair, computer monitors up again. Trinity cleared her throat to get his attention but stopped. She squinted and tilted her head while the Beast mumbled to himself about flowers and gardening. Lo and behold, there on the monitor was a set of swimwear pictures of the model, Daisy, from the recent photo shoots featured in this month's edition of "Flowers of Parum."

What. The. Heck.

Emilia put her hand on her hips and glared, "Boss! What are you reading?! Aren't you supposed to be on duty?"

Kraz frowned, annoyed that his "research on flowers" was being interrupted. He leaned to the side so he could fully see the two females standing in front of his desk, "Huh? Oh, Emilia, it's just you and Trinity. You sure you should be up 'n' screeching like this so soon?"

"I DON'T screech!" she shouted back to him, Trinity plugging her left ear to save one of her eardrums. Kraz huffed, "Then explain to me why my ears are ringin'. Naw, on second thought, don't."

"Ooohhh..." Emilia was getting more fired up by the minute. Trinity stepped in before things could get even more ugly, "Sir, we're here to see if there are any missions."

Thankfully, Kraz turned his attention to her and didn't exacerbate the situation anymore, "That so? Perfect timing then because I've got a job for the two of you."

"Actually, there's something I wanted to talk to you about also," Emilia interjected after calming herself. Kraz kept talking like he hadn't heard her, "The job is for a research lab belonging to the Inhelt Corporation on Parum. I'm sure you've heard of them during your days as a Freelancer."

Um, excuse me? I said I wanted to-"

"You are to remove any unwanted life forms that have escaped from the bio labs. Specifically-"

Fed up, Emilia slammed both of her hands on Kraz's desk, "Stop ignoring me! I have to to talk to you about something that affects the entire Gurhal System!"

Kraz, having been cut off, crossed his arms, his full attention on her, "The entire... what?"

"Emilia-" Trinity spoke up only to have the girl shove one hand in her face, "That's right."

She then proceeded to tell Kraz everything that Mika had shown her. The Ancients, what had happened during the SEED invasion all those years ago, and about Project: Renaissance. Kraz listened silently to the whole story. Emilia finished with a small rant, "This is bad. BAD. Why am I the only one freaking out here?"

_'Because on of us has to keep a cool head,'_ Trinity thought, trying to get Emilia to put her hand down and out of her face.

"Hm, let's see now: Horrible threat to the system? Nah. Crusty old ancient civ? Nah. You panicking? Well, I applaud you for your honesty."

"I'm serious! We're all in terrible danger!" Emilia insisted. Kraz rolled his eyes, "Of getting a headache. Oops, too late, it's already happened. By the by, do you know which company has taken the lead in subspace research as of late?"

Trinity had a hand over her eyes as the train wreck in front kept playing out.

"... Inhelt Corporation?" Emilia replied.

"The girl knows her stuff," their boss said in mock praise, "Now then, do you know which company has hired us to clean out on of their labs? Don't rush, take your time."

"Inhelt Corp... wait, that's it! I have to get them to stop their subspace research!"

Kraz sighed and mumbled to himself. He lifted his head up, "If you keep spouting this crazy nonsense to the clients, you're going to run us out of business."

"Why won't you believe me?! You're making a terrible mistake!"

"Emilia," Trinity's tone was a warning one. This was sliding out of control fast and becoming much more painful than it had to be. Kraz shook his head, "No. My mistake was hiring you and I'm reaping what I sowed. Trinity, you better knock all of this crazy out of your partner or there is going to be trouble."

"... If I get you proof, then you'll believe me?" Emilia asked slowly. Determination appeared on her face, "Then here is your proof. COME FORTH, MIKA!"

Trinity took two quick steps back as Mika manifested for the second time that day. The golden woman, however, wasn't her usual calm self, "Um..."

"There, you see? Not every day you see someone possessed by an ancient spirit, huh?" Emilia sounded a little smug when she said this. Kraz on the other hand was absolutely unimpressed.

"Emilia, I hate to intrude but-"

"Mika, go on and tell him! Open his beady little eyes to the truth!"

Mika shook her head, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner but normal people can't see me."

Emilia stopped her tirade and stared at where Mika was floating, "... What?"

"Ugh," Trinity slapped a hand over face and groaned. While it would've been good to let Kraz know about what was going on, this wasn't helping anything. In fact, it was just making Emilia look loopy in the head.

"This is really entertaining and all, but are you done?" the Beast asked.

"S-she's really here! Floating right by... me," the blonde girl trailed off. Mika's apologetic expression never left her face and she apologized again, "I'm so, so sorry."

"I said ARE YOU DONE?" Kraz repeated. Emilia wanted to protect even more but her arguments fizzled out and she ended up sulking instead. Kraz sighed and massaged his temples, "Feh, maybe it was a mistake teaming you up with her after all."

Now he was talking to Trinity. "I don't know how you did it, but she's even worse than she was before. That is saying something. And I used to be such a good judge of character too."

Trinity's eyes narrowed and she had to remind herself that this was her employer. Something she never really had seemed to outgrow from her academy days was the urge to punch people when they questioned her competency. Preferably in the face.

"I understand sir... We will be going on the mission now." It was so hard for her to say that without growling. Kraz waved his hand, "Yeah, yeah. Take the two rookies with you, and forgive me if the thought of you two doing this job doesn't instill me with confidence."

_'Breathe, Trinity. 1, 2, 1, 2...'_

Emilia began to protest but Trinity once again had to drag her from the lobby, this time because she didn't want to be caught in another drama crossfire. Once they were outside, Trinity looked over at the smaller girl who looked crushed and upset beyond measure.

"..." She leaned back on her heels, "If it makes you feel better, I wanted to punch him in the face."

Emilia looked up at her in surprise, "Really? I thought you were the kind of person who'd listen to their boss with no complaints."

"I listen. But that doesn't guarantee I will obey."

She started walking off to find Liina and Tonnio, glancing over her shoulder, "Come on, let's show him that you can get a job done. Thoroughly."

"Huh? What is that going to prove?" Emilia asked the older woman. Trinity looked the perfect picture of peace, but her thoughts were more revenge-oriented. But not of the violent kind.

"As a Freelancer, sometimes you get clients that treat you poorly and question your competence. I've found that the best kind of revenge to get back at them is do the job and then some."

It helped that some were so ashamed for bad mouthing that they increased the pay. Emilia didn't look totally convinced, but it certainly brought her out of her downed mood, "I think I get it."

"Good. Now chin up, we've got a job to do."

"Right." Emilia and Trinity walked off together, located Tonnio and Liina, and boarded the ship to fly off to Parum.

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><p>End Chapter.<p>

Phew, I don't normally write chapters this long but we're finally making some headway. Sorry it took me a while to come back to this.

Review.


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